Hundreds protest in German city against Erdogan’s visit

Cologne: Hundreds of people gathered in the German city of Cologne to protest against a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan was due to open a mosque in the city on Saturday which was built by a group with ties to Turkey.

Several thousand people also demonstrated against Erdogan in Berlin on Friday night.

Erdogan is in Germany for a visit aimed at reducing tensions between the two Nato allies. He had breakfast with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Saturday.

Germany and Turkey have clashed over numerous issues in recent years, including Turkey’s jailing of German journalists. The rhetoric escalated to the point where Erdogan called Germany’s mainstream parties “enemies of Turkey” and accused German officials of acting like Nazis, prompting Merkel to condemn his comments.